Lately life has been hectic. To say the very least. I spend most of my days trying to figure out the balance in my life (blogging, being a mom and maintaining a life) and most days I am unsuccessful.

If you know anything about blogging (deal blogging more specifically) its very hard. Its a full time job and on top of it you have children seeking attention from you most of the day. I’ve been doing this for 3 years now and still have not learned the boundaries of home life and working from home. There have been times that I’ve wanted to throw my computer out the window because I have such a large devotion to Southern Cali Saver and feel that I need to DO IT ALL.

So. I am actively taking steps to help balance all of this.

Balancing it out:

You may have noticed lately that I don’t post much before 10am. Sometimes I may but there are so many things going on in the AM that I prefer to get it all done before I sit down to post. I also have decided that I will more than likely stop posts after 8 or 9 pm.

I am trying my hardest to reach out to each part of So Cal and offer a wide variety of store deals. Fortunately I have all the major grocery stores around my home–so I can usually go to most but sometimes I can’t make it to find un-advertised deals. If you happen to visit a store and find something–feel free to email me! (southerncalisaver @ gmail . com)

…. Park Days:

One reason I decided to stay at home was because I wanted to spend more time with my children. ( couponing was the only way I could stay home!) I’ve found that I’m doing less of that.. and really need to spend more time with them. Spending more time at the park and interacting with my children means spending a little more time away from the computer.

I know you all understand

Considering that most of you have families I figured that you would understand that I need this. The quality on Southern Cali Saver will only get better because with the steps I am taking–it will help me survive burnout and bring you only the best deals around.

Ever feel as though you pick up a coupon and people automatically see you as needing “help”? Ever feel that people are staring down your neck when you are at the register with your handful of coupons? What are the customer’s thinking? What is the cashier thinking?

There is no doubt that a person who uses coupons has a certain “stigma”. People may have many perceptions of you as a coupon user. Such as: “does he/she need money?”, “Are they struggling?”, “Are they poor?”

The income of the “heaviest” coupon user: $70,000The income of those who do not use coupons: $25,000

I won’t lie. The first time I picked up a coupon I instantly felt as though people were staring. People wondered and I even sometimes hid my coupons so others didn’t know.

For those that are new to couponing—don’t worry, you are not alone. But the good thing is that it gets better! Your fear does go away and things do become easier. Sooner than you know—you will be walking into the store with your coupons in hand (maybe your binder as well?) and when people stop you to ask you what you have—you will be proud to say “my coupons”

This day in age—one should consider couponing as the “trendy” thing. Everyone is suffering from this broken economy. This economy is all about saving money—not spending it.

Tips to beat the coupon stigma:

:: When you go out with your coupons—prepare yourself. I shop with three kids 90% of the time and I usually set all the coupons out that I plan to use and store them in my wallet and have them ready so when I hit the register—it is quick and painless.

:: Shop at night. The hardest thing for me was to get over the “at the register” feeling. When I was about to check out I would feel like others were staring me down and thinking about WHY and HOW I was using coupons. I admit—I’m a tad self conscious when it comes to others—so I always felt like they were judging me.
So shopping at night makes it easier because there are less people in the store. Less people to stare. Less stressed out it makes you feel.

Regardless, there will always be a stigma behind people who use coupons. We are not poor; we are not living in poverty. We are saving money by beating the grocery stores and drugstores at their own game. YOU as the coupon user should consider yourself a financial wizard. You are spending the time that is necessary to save money for your family and to provide for them by giving them the things that make them happy. You are being smarter than the average grocery shopper and not paying the prices that you think you “have” to spend to feed your family.

So next time you head out the grocery store—put your head up high remember all the awesome benefits that you are reaping for your family. When someone complements you on the awesome savings you just scored; make sure to say “Thank You”.

When I first began Southern Cali Saver I never thought I would be creating a To Do List. I never thought that there were not enough hours in the day to finish everything I wanted to do on this site. I honestly thought there were not enough deals out there to be posting aaallll ddaayy..but there is.

I have a ever growing to do list and it has become imperative that I shrink my list to a minimum. So I will be taking this weekend off to do just that. SCS also needs a little tender loving care and I will be making some great adjustments to the site. Things that I think everyone here will love! Stay tuned!

For all the Mommas out there Please enjoy your Mother’s Day and take a day off from coupons!

This is me. Tuesday ads and Coffee I have moved to the living room table because there really is no room anywhere else. It also keeps the kids out of my work. It isn’t the most organized way..but it works for me!

I got the FREE Jell-O Temptations coupon in the mail the other day…I decided to have a dip into the Strawberry Cheesecake flavor. Watch out people..it says 150 calories..but they taste too good to be true.

Sad to say…there were only three in the package–and now there are none.

About Me!

My Name is Josie and I live in sunny Southern California and I am a stay at home mom to three beautiful boys. We all know that living in California is a task of it's own and saving in California IS possible! I started this blog mainly to share all the awesome deals out there and show others how to save in any area of life. Even though you may make the commitment to be frugal and pinch your pennies doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice!